Castro Valley sign removal spurs uproar

By Carolyn Jones :
January 20, 2013

Roseann Galvan, co-owner of Boulevard Burger in Castro Valley, displays a portion of the restaurant's sign, which she now has in storage after county planners ordered it removed. "We just wanted to do something unique and fresh," she says.

Photo By Brant Ward/The Chronicle

Alameda County planners ordered Boulevard Burger, a new restaurant in downtown Castro Valley, to remove its artist-created, illuminated sign because it extended past the roofline.

Photo By Brant Ward/The Chronicle

Boulevard Burger's 1950s-style sign was made from recycled lumber.

Castro Valley is among the quietest, friendliest pockets of the Bay Area. Unless you're talking about signs. Hell hath no fury like Castro Valley embroiled in a sign ruckus.

First, there was the canoe-shaped "Welcome" sign, which provoked such outrage the county dismantled it after only two months. Then there was the 60-foot cell tower that looked like a phallus, sparking widespread mockery until T-Mobile added some fake branches.

Now it's Boulevard Burger. The owners of the new downtown restaurant thought they'd spruce up Castro Valley Boulevard - known for its preponderance of fast-food joints and other chains - by installing a 1950s-style, artist-created illuminated sign, complete with arrow.

"We just wanted to do something unique and fresh, make it stand out from all the fast food," said co-owner Roseann Galvan, a Castro Valley resident, who said the sign cost about $1,000.

"But all of a sudden, we're in big trouble," she said.

The sign was only up a few weeks before Alameda County planners ordered it removed. The problem was that a portion of the 3-foot-tall sign was above the roofline, which is verboten, according to a county planning ordinance.

Less control over issues

So last week, the owners took down the sign. It now sits in a storage shed next to a trash bin, and Boulevard Burger is signless.

In those few weeks, however, hundreds of Castro Valley residents had come to love the sign and have been hounding the county for answers since its removal. The issue, they said, is not the sign. It's about who runs Castro Valley.

"We were delighted to see it every day. It brought something new and different to Castro Valley Boulevard," said Steve Ontiveros, who owns a commercial investment firm up the street. "It feels like we're at the mercy of Alameda County instead of local residents who are actually here every day. There has to be a better way."

Castro Valley, population 61,000, is one of the largest unincorporated communities in California. That translates to lower taxes and fewer rules, but also less control over issues like planning, police and land use. All that is handled by Alameda County employees, most of whom work in downtown Oakland.

Beautification efforts

In the case of errant signs and other issues, residents say the county does not listen to them, and they have few options for appeal or recourse.

"That building sat vacant for seven years. We were so happy someone finally moved in and wanted to do something unique," said Pam Russo, a longtime Castro Valley resident and Boulevard Burger regular. "I thought that sign was a stroke of marketing genius. I hope they find a way to get it back up."

County workers say they do plenty for Castro Valley, and the Boulevard Burger owners violated the sign ordinance, simple as that.

"I understand that people are very upset. The owners can apply for a sign permit, do it right, have a very nice sign," said Bob Swanson, community liaison for Supervisor Nate Miley, who represents Castro Valley. "I think everyone - the citizens, businesspeople, the county - all want to see Castro Valley be as beautiful as it possibly can be."

The county just spent $11 million to plant trees, install benches and otherwise beautify Castro Valley Boulevard.

It's also planning to add public art. Yes, another "Welcome to Castro Valley" sign, although this time without the canoe.

"We vetted this one very rigorously," said Marita Hawryluk, assistant director of the county's redevelopment successor agency. "We are keeping in mind the mistakes of the past."